BOWENS GEMINI ESPRIT 125 People Views?

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m18nye

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What are people views of the BOWENS GEMINI ESPRIT 125, looking at buying a pair of these, would be used with softboxes to light the subject, are they powerful enough?

Thanks
 
Anyone have any views on these lights? Need to know in the next couple of hours else ill loose my chance of getting them at a awesome price?

Thanks
 
m18nye said:
I already have 2 300Ws lights so these would be to compliment them, using them to create hi-key portraits. Would they be suitable for this?

Thanks
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Hi Key or White Background? There is a difference....

Anyway, from what I know, you can achieve white BG shots with one light - not sure how though. I use way more power in my studio to get a white BG, so in my own situation, they would be useless.

G.
 
EdinburghGary said:
Hi Key or White Background? There is a difference....

Anyway, from what I know, you can achieve white BG shots with one light - not sure how though. I use way more power in my studio to get a white BG, so in my own situation, they would be useless.

G.
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White backround. I would use my 2 300Ws to light the back ground and the 2 gemini 125 to light the subject?
 
m18nye said:
White backround. I would use my 2 300Ws to light the back ground and the 2 gemini 125 to light the subject?
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I'm really not sure - if you can't work it out with any certainty, I would avoid. I think it could work, but you are presumably going to have to shoot at f4, f5.6 etc and perhaps give up some ISO?

There must be someone out there using lower powered lights for this?

Gary.
 
EdinburghGary said:
I'm really not sure - if you can't work it out with any certainty, I would avoid. I think it could work, but you are presumably going to have to shoot at f4, f5.6 etc and perhaps give up some ISO?

There must be someone out there using lower powered lights for this?

Gary.
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Well my idea was I have never really used my 300Ws at full power so the 2 150Ws should do? Im not really doing to use any modifiers that will absorb alot of the light. Softboxe's, umbrella's, snoots and barn doors.
 
Good quality lights, the only reservation is the power.
They'll be just about OK power wise, as long as you're happy to up the ISO a bit.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Good quality lights, the only reservation is the power.
They'll be just about OK power wise, as long as you're happy to up the ISO a bit.
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If i was to use my camera set-up as 1/125 F8 Iso 200 do you think the lights are powerfull enough? or would I be looking at uping the iso to more like 400?
 
m18nye said:
If i was to use my camera set-up as 1/125 F8 Iso 200 do you think the lights are powerfull enough? or would I be looking at uping the iso to more like 400?
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In a small space, using only umbrellas or softboxes close to the subject, you should be able to get f/8 at around 200 ISO. But they won't be adequate for lighting a white background, or if you want to use modifiers such as honeycombs.

The shutter speed is irrelevant.
 
Garry Edwards said:
In a small space, using only umbrellas or softboxes close to the subject, you should be able to get f/8 at around 200 ISO. But they won't be adequate for lighting a white background, or if you want to use modifiers such as honeycombs.

The shutter speed is irrelevant.
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Ok, im really unsure, would the Smartflash 200 be a noticeable difference?

Thanks
 
m18nye said:
Ok, im really unsure, would the Smartflash 200 be a noticeable difference?

Thanks
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I haven't measured the output of the Bowens 125's, but going purely on the data supplied I'd expect the SmartFlash 200 to have nearly twice the power, plus fan cooling and 4x as much power adjustment.

But the Bowens standard reflector (sometimes referred to by those who don't know better as a spill kill) is highly polished, so in tems of light output at least it is more efficient than the matt one supplied with the Lencarta.

Because of this, although the Lencarta has more power, you may not notice much difference until you fit a softbox or other light modifier.

Hope this helps
 
Garry Edwards said:
I haven't measured the output of the Bowens 125's, but going purely on the data supplied I'd expect the SmartFlash 200 to have nearly twice the power, plus fan cooling and 4x as much power adjustment.

But the Bowens standard reflector (sometimes referred to by those who don't know better as a spill kill) is highly polished, so in tems of light output at least it is more efficient than the matt one supplied with the Lencarta.

Because of this, although the Lencarta has more power, you may not notice much difference until you fit a softbox or other light modifier.

Hope this helps
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Yeh I would mainly be using softboxes so the Smartflash may well be better.

Thanks
 
How much are they?

I've just got a pair of ElitePro 300w which are brilliant and I know the 200w Lencarta ones are very good too. You do pay for the name somewhat with Bowens.
 
m18nye said:
I already have 2 300Ws lights so these would be to compliment them, using them to create hi-key portraits. Would they be suitable for this?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you already have 300ws lights, then in round numbers 125ws is going to be fractionally more than one stop less. How does that sound to you? It's low, but depending on your set up and how you work, it could be either fine, or marginal, or not enough. Depends. But either way, they will be about a stop less than what you've got.

Using ws is as good a way as any of comparing light output, if only because all the other methods are even harder to compare. So 125ws is half the light from 250ws, which is half 500ws etc.
 
HoppyUK said:
If you already have 300ws lights, then in round numbers 125ws is going to be fractionally more than one stop less. How does that sound to you? It's low, but depending on your set up and how you work, it could be either fine, or marginal, or not enough. Depends. But either way, they will be about a stop less than what you've got.

Using ws is as good a way as any of comparing light output, if only because all the other methods are even harder to compare. So 125ws is half the light from 250ws, which is half 500ws etc.
Click to expand...

Have decided to go for 2 200Ws Smartflashes, should have these by the end of the week :) Can have a play over the weekend.

Thanks For All The Advice
 
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